‘Do Good, Feel Good’ and the beauty industry

Laurence Bacilieri
Cosmetic Ressources
- 30 April 2019

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"Do good, feel good" is a mechanism well known by psychologists. The more good deeds one does, the better one feels. This phenomenon has spread to the universe of beauty, especially concerning our planet.

In the past, good deeds have left their marks: For example, Estée Lauder for breast cancer, or M.A.C. celebrating 25 years of Viva Glam, which raised US$500 million for the Aids Fund. Here are four other examples of "Do good, feel good", from the world of Beauty:

L’Oréal has been working for over 20 years towards sustainable development, ecology, and the circular economy. By adopting new methods concerning 14 essential factors such as reducing greenhouse gasses and water consumption and using recyclable and recycled packaging. With its "Sharing Beauty with All" program, L’Oréal has imposed a new way of creating.

The group has just launched Seed Phytonutrients, a new beauty brand that has made local environmental responsibility its DNA, and the seed its star ingredient. With enthusiasm that’s contagious, Seed Phytonutrients also wants to plant the seeds of prosperity, well-being and sustainability for future generations. Under the direction of Shane Wolf, general manager of the L’Oréal brands and gifted with deep knowledge of agriculture, L’Oréal has given itself the mission of reconnecting industry with farming. This starts with a good working relationship that Seed Phytonutrients has established with farmers. Instead of relying on traditional suppliers, Seed Phytonutrients uses small organic family farms that grow crops exclusively for the brand. A real commitment that involves paying 100% upfront, regardless of crop yield. This win-win partnership enables farmers to reinvest in their farms and to better plan for future crops. It’s a paradigm shift in the relationship between farmers and the beauty industry, made to support the efforts of farmers who have switched to organic farming.

The Estée Lauder group has announced plans for defending the environment, starting now and until 2025, 75% to 100% of their packaging will be recyclable, rechargeable or reusable. One example, Aveda raised more than 60 million dollars since 1999 thanks to the sales of the Aveda Light the Way candle. With the help of Greengrants Funds, 100% of the profits from the sales were dedicated to helping give clean water to more than a million people all over the world.

The Pierre Fabre Group and Klorane Botanical Foundation also have an ambitious ten-year program: To plant 70,000 trees in order to create the Great Green Wall, a gigantic green belt in Africa stretching East to West, (from Dakar to Djibouti) that will be 15 kilometers wide. The company wants to help fight desertification from deforestation. The result? More than 40,000 hectares of desert have already been transformed. Also in Greece, after terrible forest fires, 10,000 olive trees were gifted to a Peloponnese community. The examples are numerous...

In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, Klorane encourages short supply circuits. Its iconic cornflower line reveals perfect traceability. The organically grown cornflowers, their transformation in Gaillac, the R&D in Toulouse, and finally the fabrication in Castres - all within a 50-kilometer radius - what an achievement!

Yves Rocher - 60 years ago, Monsieur Yves Rocher created "la Cosmétique Végétale" in Gacilly, the Brittany village where he was born. It is a model of beauty innovation springing from is passion for Nature and dedicated to the service of women. The brand stands behind responsible beauty, real, natural, accountable and generous.

These groups are turning the future of the cosmetic industry upside-down. The emerging paradigm of beauty is changing.

Laurence Bacilieri has been an expert in the cosmetics industry for over 30 years. Among her experiences she was a beauty expert for a US television show, journalist for trade press and senior consultant for Mintel Group. She holds an MBA from Columbia University and speaks English and French fluently.